


She is my daughter

by PrettyCalypso



Series: The Chronicles of Ian & Kira [4]
Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: AU, And some light smut, Daddy Ian, Daddy Mickey, Family Angst, M/M, Some kissing, cute fluffy couple stuff, family stuff, not a stand alone fic, slight mention of violence and unhealthy relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-09
Updated: 2016-04-13
Packaged: 2018-06-01 05:25:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6502369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrettyCalypso/pseuds/PrettyCalypso
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ian tells Mickey an important secret.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Wedding Bells

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to post this fic last night, but I had a lot of shaping to do. At first I wanted this last installment to have only one chapter, but I changed my mind, it was too long. So it's gonna have two, and maybe three chapters.
> 
> Also, this fic is taking place about two and half years after the end of "Prince Charming".

 

Ian was lying on his bed, looking at the lights of the street reflecting on the white ceiling through the darkness. After almost thirty years he didn't even hear the distant sound of sirens crying into the Chicagoan night anymore. And after almost three years, his mind also filtrated the light snoring of the sleeping man cuddled against his stomach. The redhead looked down to their intertwined hands, trying to imagine the matching silver rings they had picked out and that would ornate their fingers in only a few days. Ian had to do this now. It was important. So he lightly shook the other man.

 

“Mick. Hey.”

 

Mickey grunted and snuggled closer to Ian – if that was even possible.

 

“The fuck are you waking me for?”

 

“I have something to tell you.”

 

“And it can't wait for morning?”

 

“No?”

 

Ian knew it was the uncertainty in his voice that made his fiancé open his eyes.

 

“What is it?”

 

“It's Kira...”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“She isn't my daughter.”

 

Mickey fully sat up this time, and looked at Ian straight in the eyes.

 

“What?”

 

The redhead took a deep breath. He knew this was going to be a hard conversation, but he also knew it had to be done. They were getting married in a few days, and he couldn't keep that secret from his husband. Plus, he trusted Mickey more than anyone in the world.

 

“Biologically, I'm not her father.”

 

Mickey kept staring, but his eyes were gentle, and his hand was still gripping Ian's. The redhead laughed nervously.

 

“I've never said that out loud before. Nobody knows. Not Fiona, not Lip, and definitely not Kira. It's the secret Riley and I have been keeping for ten years now. But... I feel like I needed to tell you...”

 

Mickey nodded slowly.

 

“Kira can't know though. Never. I know it's cruel, I've lived that myself, my dad not being my real dad, but... I'm not Frank. And her real father is certainly not Clayton. I don't want her to suffer.”

 

Mickey nodded again.

 

“Okay. If you think that's what's best, I trust you.”

 

Ian smiled shyly. God, he had really found the perfect man to marry.

 

“Do you want to tell me the whole story?” Mickey asked, his thumb stroking soothingly the back of Ian's hand.

 

Ian barely hesitated. He knew it had to be done. He couldn't drop such a bomb on Mickey and not tell him everything.

 

“Yeah, I want to.”

 

He took a deep breath. _Okay, here we go._

 

“I met Riley in high school. She was my beard for a while, but, mostly, she was my best friend. She was smart and beautiful, she didn’t take shit from anybody. She kind of remind me of Mandy in some ways. Fierce and badass, but also so caring, with such a big heart. But she... she fell in love with the wrong guy. I guess it's a basic love story, right? The girl who just wants to be loved, and the bad guy taking advantage of her naivete. Anyway, I knew he was bad news, but she was so in love with him, I just couldn't do anything. He made her do some pretty illegal shit, heavy stuff. And once, they robbed a convenience store. It didn't go well, and, I've never wanted to know the details, I just know Riley's “boyfriend”, Steve – that was his name – killed the owner of the store. But somehow they were lucky, and they got away. No DNA, no witness, they were off the hook. A couple of weeks later though, Steve was arrested for another murder, a drug deal gone wrong or some shit. And at the same time, Riley learned she was already three months pregnant. I was there for her, I always was. She was freaking out, scared Steve would spill the beans about the robbery. But he didn't. Probably didn't want to be charged with two murders instead of just one. So, yeah, things were more or less okay for a while. I helped Riley through her entire pregnancy, I was even there in the delivery room, I was the one cutting the umbilical cord. It was... gross.”

 

Ian took a small break here to laugh slightly at the memory of Kira's birth. Mickey was still silently holding his hand, supportive as always.

 

“When Riley asked me if she could write my name as the father on the birth certificate, I didn't even hesitate. I would have done anything for her at the time. I knew she was still scared she would get arrested sooner or later, and she wanted a better father for her baby than this piece of shit that was Steve. I was nineteen. I thought Fiona was going to bash my skull open when I told her my pseudo-girlfriend had just had a baby. My siblings knew I was gay, but they never question my paternity. Riley and I were so close, I guess they just assumed there was maybe more than friendship there, or that a drunk accident had happened, I don't know and I don't really care to be honest. But I promised Fiona I would stay in school and graduate college, which I did. Anyway, when Kira was three weeks old, Steve's trial was broadcasted on a local TV channel, and some witness suddenly recognized him from the convenience store robbery. And the asshole didn't even hold an hour before dropping Riley's name. She was arrested, convicted, and I was left alone raising Kira. It was tough but my family was supportive in spite of everything, or maybe because of everything. But I guess I didn't do such a bad job, right?”

 

Mickey waited for a beat, to be sure Ian had indeed finished his story, before speaking.

 

“Shit.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“You're like some knight in shining armor.”

 

Ian laughed lightly.

 

“I guess...”

 

“It's sexy.”

 

Mickey dropped a soft kiss on Ian's forehead, before leaning back down on his chest. Ian ran his hand through his fiancé's hair, slowly. There was one more thing he needed to ask before they fell back asleep.

 

“Why didn't you ask me about it?”

 

“About Kira and her mother? I figured there was a story there, and you'd tell me when you'd be ready.”

 

“Do you know how much I love you?”

 

“I think I got a pretty good idea...”

 

********

 

Ian had been afraid things would be weird after his late night confession. But it wasn't. Somehow, things were even better. Mickey was now looking at him like he was this sexy hero who had sacrificed his life for a damsel in distress and a fragile baby. And it made the sex ten times hotter – if that was even possible.

 

But, thankfully, Mickey didn't look, or act differently around Kira. And that was what really mattered to Ian. Sometimes, he was feeling guilty about keeping the truth from his daughter, but he also knew he was protecting her. Maybe, in a few years, when she would turn eighteen or something like that, he would tell her. But not now. She was too young.

 

********

 

A heavy weight suddenly dropped on Ian's stomach. The man sat up straight, now fully awake from the pain mixed the surprise.

 

“Holy fuck!”

 

“A quarter in the swear jar!”

 

Kira was half lying on her father's body, her lips stretched in a thousand watts smile. Ian sighed deeply, collapsing back onto the bed.

 

“Kira... What are you doing here?”

 

“I'm waking you up!”

 

Not even a second later, a loud shout came from the previously guest bedroom – and now Yevgeny's every other week and half the holidays.

 

“What the fuck?!”

 

“And let me guess,” Ian sighed. “Yevgeny just did the exact same thing to Mickey?”

 

Kira somehow managed to smile broader.

 

“Yep!”

 

Ian closed his eyes. These children were exhausting... One by one they were already a handful, but together, it was even worse...

 

To somewhat respect tradition, Ian and Mickey had decided to not sleep in the same room the night before the wedding – an idea Mickey was deeply against, but he wasn't complaining too much because Ian had first wanted to do that for the whole week preceding the wedding. And the kids were supposed to sleep at Svetlana's and stay with her for the day, so that the two grooms could get ready in peace. But of course they had managed to wear the woman down...

 

“They had puppy eyes.” Ian heard Svetlana say from the door frame, like she had just read his thoughts. “I couldn't say no.”

 

“Yeah, yeah.” Ian sighed. “I know the look...”

 

He re-opened his eyes to meet his daughter's ecstatic expression. God, he loved her so much, even in those moments when he just wanted to lock her in her bedroom forever. He grabbed her waist and lifted her small body to be able to get out of bed.

 

“Well now that you're here, you're gonna make yourself useful. Go get Yevy, and the two of you – with Lana's help of course – are gonna make us breakfast. Sounds good?”

 

Kira nodded her head vigorously and jumped out of the bed.

 

“I'm on it!”

 

********

 

Ian sneaked a peek through the door. The reception hall was packed with people, and his stomach was tied in a knot. Why was he so nervous? There were only people he loved – or at least appreciated – in there, and he was about to marry to the man he loved more than he had ever loved any other man. He jumped when a hand came to settle between his shoulders.

 

“Fuck! Mickey. You scared me!”

 

“You okay?”

 

Ian looked at this man, looking so dashing in his dark blue tux, which was perfectly bringing out his eyes, and realized how lucky he was.

 

“I love you.”

 

“I love you too.”

 

Ian brought his hands to enclose Mickey's face, and kissed him, hard and passionate. And Mickey kissed him back, twice as passionate. Putting one hand on his waist, and the other caressing his cheek, Mickey dragged Ian with him, until his back hit the wall. Ian left Mickey's lips to attack his neck fervently, dragging a low moan from the other man.

 

“You look so sexy in this tux. I want you so bad.”

 

“Right back at ya.”

 

Mickey, hardening in his pants, started to grind against his future husband's crotch. Ian knew they really didn't have time for that, but he wasn't thinking with his brain anymore, and he couldn't bring himself to stop. Until they heard somebody clear their throat. Both men jumped away from each other to face a very annoyed looking Fiona. She couldn't even be embarrassed anymore, she had surprised those two in way more compromising positions too many times to count – you'd think being parents would have prevented them from turning into horny teenagers every chance they got, but apparently not.

 

“Everybody's waiting for you.”

 

“Yeah, okay, we're coming.”

 

Ian saw his fiancé face-palm himself from the corner of his eyes.

 

“Sorry. Bad choice of word. We... are ready. To get married. Let's go.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Kira's father is called Steve, but it's not Jimmy-Steve. I just couldn't come up with another name, I was stuck on this one for some reason.


	2. Unexpected Guest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just realized you don't know what kind of jobs Ian and Mickey have in this series. So, just because it's briefly mentioned in this chapter: Ian is an English teacher in high school. I've considered making him an EMT, or a firefighter, but because he was a single dad I figured he needed a job with more stable hours, and slightly less dangerous on an every day basis, and English teacher seemed to actually quite fit Ian Gallagher.

 

Mickey ran his fingers over Ian’s hard biceps. The redhead's arms were flexed as he held himself up above Mickey, his hands tangled in the sheets by his husband's head. Mickey's hands traveled further up Ian's arms to grip his shoulders, sinking his nails in the soft skin, and pulling the man tighter against his chest. Ian let out a deep groan, a groan Mickey swallowed by kissing his husband harshly. Ian thrust harder into the other man, and someone moaned between their lips, but neither of the two men could actually say who, maybe it was the both of them. Mickey's cock was rubbing against Ian's tight abs, and the redhead's movements became more and more erratic as he was pushing relentlessly against Mickey's prostate. Ian let his arms slightly give up and buried his face in the crook of Mickey's neck. The black haired-man ran his hands down his husband's back until he grabbed his ass to pull him even closer, if it was possible. His cock twitched, the friction with Ian's chest getting more and more intense. Mickey almost whined at the sensation, letting his hands roam over Ian's defined back, the redhead's shaky breath caressing his neck. When Ian's teeth suddenly sunk into his skin, Mickey came hard between them with a low growl. He clawed at Ian’s back and clenched around him. Iangroaned and came hard inside of his husband. They stayed like this, holding each other tightly, for a few very long minutes, almost struggling to breathe. Finally, Ian pulled out, falling into the mattress next to his husband, and fumbled blindly on the bedside table until his fingers found the tissues he was looking for. He made a quick job of cleaning them both, and placed a soft kiss by Mickey's ear.

 

“We should do this more often.”

 

“We already do this almost every night Mick.”

 

“I meant a long week-end without the kids.”

 

Ian snuggled against his husband and closed his eyes, ready to succumb to a much needed nap.

 

“Yes, we should...”

 

The redhead was feeling Mickey's regular heartbeats under his cheek, and the sensation was incredibly calming. He was about to drift completely into sleep, when a few loud knocks on the front door jolted both men awake.

 

“We could ignore it.” Mickey whispered.

 

“Yeah, let's do that...”

 

Unfortunately, the plan seemed compromised when the person at the door knocked a second time, and a third time. So, Ian reluctantly put some pants on, and dragged his feet to the front door.

 

“What...”

 

He couldn't finish his aggressive greeting when the person standing at the doorstep was looking at him with such big Bambi eyes. And also because he was definitely _not_ expecting to see her here.

 

“Riley?”

 

“Surprise!”

 

“What... Why... Uh... Riley?”

 

“It's nice to see you too, Ian.”

 

The man just stood there motionless, his brains experiencing a serious bug. The woman hugged him carefully, but he wasn't able to reciprocate. Finally, with great efforts, Ian snapped out of it and asked the question that was on the tip of his tongue.

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

“Early release. Overcrowding, good behavior, and all that shit.”

 

“What didn't you tell me? I could have... I don't know, come get you maybe...”

 

“I wanted to surprise you and Kira! By the way where is she?”

 

“She's at... uh...”

 

(Ian couldn't remember where his own daughter was? What the fuck was happening to him?)

 

“Svetlana's! Yes, she's at Svetlana's!”

 

“Who's Svetlana?”

 

“Mickey's ex-wife.”

 

“Our daughter is staying with your husband's ex-wife? Why?”

 

That was the perfect moment Mickey chose to appear behind his husband. He presented his hand for the newcomer to shake, and introduced himself, because apparently Ian wasn't about to do it.

 

“Hi. I'm Mickey.”

 

“Riley.”

 

“You're Riley? I've heard a lot about you.”

 

“Likewise.”

 

Ian's eyes traveled between his husband and his friend for some time.

 

“Kira.” he suddenly said. “I'm gonna take you to Kira. Come in, make yourself at home, I'm gonna put some more clothes on.”

 

And with that, the redhead walked to his bedroom, leaving the front door wide open for Riley to enter the house. Mickey stayed a little longer behind his husband to attend to the basic good host's duties and offer Riley something to drink, giving small talk his best efforts.

 

********

 

Ian stood still in front of his closet for he-didn't-know-how-long. Hearing the bedroom's door closing dragged him back from his trance.

 

“Are you okay?” Mickey asked with real concern in his voice.

 

Ian shook his head lightly.

 

“I don't know. I think I'm kinda freaking out a little bit. Riley is... out. Free. I wasn't ready for that so soon. I know it's incredibly selfish but I was used to raising Kira by my own. Well, with you, but you know, it's not the same... Kira's mom is back. What if... What if she wants full custody? What if she wants to change Kira's school, or haircut, or name?”

 

Mickey grabbed his husband's face with both his hands and made him look at him in the eyes.

 

“Okay, okay, breath. It's gonna be fine. First of all, it wouldn't be so bad to cut Kira's hair, it's falling in her food when she eats.”

 

But Ian didn't laugh at Mickey's feeble attempt to lighten the mood.

 

“And yes,” Mickey continued. “We do have to consider the idea of Riley being a present mother in Kira's life from now on, but, no matter what, you'll still be her father. And I now it's hard for you to imagine, but shared custody isn't that bad. It might look like an evil nightmare from where you stand, and sure you're gonna miss your kid like crazy at first, but hey, I made it, you can to do it too. And if we play our cards right, we'll even have entire week-ends just the two of us regularly.”

 

Ian smiled faintly, and a single tear made its way to his chin.

 

“I don't want to lose her, Mick.”

 

Mickey draped his arms around his husband and pulled him in a tight warm hug.

 

“You won't lose her. I promise.”

 

********

 

Half an hour later, Mickey was stopping his car in front of Svetlana's house. The black-haired man squeezed lightly at his husband's knee with an encouraging smile, and got out of the car. When he opened the front door and entered the house, followed closely by Ian and Riley, he was greeted by a surprised Mandy – _what the fuck was she even doing here_ _anyway_ _?_

 

“What are you doing here already?” the woman wondered. “I thought you guys had a long fuck-a-thon week-end planned!”

 

“We had an unexpected guest.” Ian answered with a hand gesture toward Riley so discreet Mandy didn't even register it.

 

“Crabs?”

 

Mickey gave his sister his best _'What the fuck?'_ face.

 

“The fuck Mandy?”

 

The woman raised her hands in surrender.

 

“What? I don't know what you guys do on your free time!”

 

“Anyway...” Ian continued, gesturing once again toward Riley who was still standing sheepishly by the door. “It's an actual person. Kira here?”

 

“She's upstairs with Lana, playing dress up in her closet.”

 

Ian nodded, and asked Riley to stay put before heading upstairs. Mickey then noticed his son on the couch and leaned over the boy's shoulder.

 

“Hey Yev. What are you doing?”

 

The boy promptly ignored his father, too engrossed in the console he was playing on.

 

“Yevy was showing me his hot new video game.” Mandy answered, dropping on one side of her nephew, while Mickey sat on the other side. The man looked at the screen before recognizing the game – he had actually bought it to Yevgeny for his tenth birthday.

 

“Oh yeah, this one is pretty cool.”

 

And the three Milkoviches started playing and talking video games, while Riley was impatiently waiting by the entrance to see her daughter.

 

********

 

Ian climbed the stairs as slowly as he could. The knot that had settled in his stomach when he had fully understood the implications of Riley being back, hadn't left. And he had the horrible feeling this knot would stay here for a long time, if it didn't intensify.

 

The redhead found his daughter parading in the hallway between the bedrooms in one of Svetlana's sexiest dress, and perched on what Ian could only call “hooker heels”.

 

“What are you wearing?”

 

“A party dress. I'm pretty, right?”

 

Ian's mouth gaped open and he marched furiously into Svetlana's room, in which the woman was carefully exposing all of her sexiest outfits onto her bed.

 

“What the fuck Svet? I don't want my daughter wearing this kind of dress, she's 10!”

 

Svetlana just raised her shoulders dismissively, and kept laying pieces of clothing on her silk-like sheets. Ian turned back to look at Kira, before coming back quickly to Svetlana.

 

“And is that make-up???!!!”

 

“But it's for fun daddy!”

 

Ian tried to smile at his daughter. He wasn't really that angry at Svetlana, Kira was right, it was just for fun. It was just all this tension following Riley's return building up into an unexpected burst of anger. He took a deep breath, and spoke with a calmer voice.

 

“We'll talk about that later. For now, just put your normal clothes on, and come downstairs, I have a surprise for you.”

 

Kira waltzed around a couple more times, before finally letting Svetlana help her to take the dress off.

 

“What's the surprise?”

 

Ian managed a real smile this time.

 

“It's a big surprise.”

 

********

 

Having Riley back in his life was making Ian both happy – she was his best friend after all – and incredibly anxious all the time. But the person for whom it was probably the weirdest was Kira. The little girl didn't dare to touch her mother when she first saw her, she stayed glued to her father's side and looked at the woman like she was an alien. Ian had never seen his daughter being so shy, but he had to admit it must have been very strange to meet in the flesh a person she had known her entire life through a plexiglass window and had never actually touched, or hugged, or kissed. Kira smiled though, she seemed genuinely happy to see her mother, but she kept cautious, as if somewhere in her mind, something was telling her that Riley was only there temporarily and it was a bad idea to get attached. Or maybe it was just what Ian was imagining his daughter to feel, because that was how he felt about his own mother.

 

The first few days passed in a blur of Riley sleeping on the couch – she didn't want to “steal” Yevgeny's room even though the boy was staying at his mother's – getting used to the life outside of jail, of Kira slowly reacquainting with her mother, and of Ian watching all that apprehensively, Mickey rubbing his back soothingly every steps of the way.

 

********

 

Two weeks after Riley surprisingly showing up at Ian and Mickey's front door, life was normal again. Except that the two men had an ex-convict sleeping on their couch in a house with two kids. Convict who was one of the kids' mom, and wasn't actually a threat to their well-being if the fathers didn't take into account the ridiculous amount of sugar the woman was feeding Kira and Yevgeny. Overcompensating, right?

 

On a Saturday afternoon, Ian was enjoying the fact that Mickey had taken the kids to the park to grade his students' essays in peace. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Riley looking at him for way too long before she sat opposing him at the dining table. The redhead raised his head from the paper he had just been reading to face his friend.

 

“I've been waiting to talk to you alone.” she started. “I have something important to tell you.”

 

Ian smiled gently, even though the knot in his stomach had just grown ten times bigger.

 

“I'm listening.”

 

“My PO found me a job. It's in a crappy diner, but it's better than nothing, right?”

 

Ian nodded, waiting for the bomb to drop.

 

“And I found a cute little apartment right next to it.” Riley continued. “Two bedrooms, and a balcony. The only thing is that it's... It's in Michigan. And I'm taking Kira with me.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tadadada!!!!
> 
> Also, I made my research and a person on parole can move and work in another state if their parole officer agrees on the terms, so my scenario is not impossible, and actually realistic enough for it to happen.


	3. Family Feud

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I took so long to update, but I feel so insecure about this chapter. I don't really like it, but I re-read it and re-writed it I don't know how many times, and I can't put my finger on what's wrong. So if you have any tips, or advice to make it better, I'm ready to hear it.

 

“You can't do that!”

 

Ian was yelling by now, he knew he was, but he couldn't stop, he wouldn't stop.

 

“You can't take her away from me!”

 

Riley stood up, and started to pack her stuff like she hadn't just rocked Ian's world completely over.

 

“I will fight this, Riley. If I have to go to court, I will! And who do you think will win between the trashy teenage mom who's on parole because she spent the last ten years of her life in jail, or the decent citizen of a dad who has a stable teaching job and offers the child the stability she needs since she was born?”

 

“Except you're not really the dad, aren't you?”

 

Riley didn't even look at Ian when she said that.

 

“You're a fucking bitch...”

 

“Look Ian, I don't want to fight you. I'm grateful you took care of Kira while I was away, but now I'm back and I want to be a real mom.”

 

“So what? I was just a ten-year babysitter? That's what you're saying?”

 

“No, I'm saying you did me a huge favor when I needed one. But now I'm trying to get my life back on track, to correct the errors from my past, and taking care of Kira is something I failed at and need to make right. You'll still see her if you want to.”

 

“If I want to???? She's my daughter Riley! Not matter what you've been telling yourself in that little head of yours, or what a paternity test would say, she is my daughter. Legally. And I have rights.”

 

Riley didn't respond, or raised her head, she kept stuffing her duffel bag with the random stuff she had accumulated over the past two weeks.

 

“Why are you packing anyway? When are you leaving?”

 

“I'm starting at the diner on Monday.” Riley simply said. “But I need to be at my apartment tomorrow.”

 

“Tomorrow? I... I need to... Shit.”

 

Ian just grabbed his wallet and his keys from the wooden console near the door, and left his house without saying another word. He couldn't deal with all this shit right now. He walked a few blocks down his street until he found a small drug store, and bought his first pack of cigarettes in years. He lit his first cancer stick, and kept walking without really knowing where he was going. He stopped some time later – maybe he had only walked ten minutes, maybe an hour, he didn't know anymore – when his phone buzzed in the front pocket of his jeans.

 

_[From Mickey] Hey, we're home. Where are you?_

 

He had already smoked four cigarettes, his lungs were killing him, and he had stopped in front of a very creepy bar from which were exiting drunk patrons looking at him like he was the fresh meat they would love to have for dinner.

 

_[From Ian] Just out, having some fresh air. I'm on my way back home._

 

_[From Ian] Can you ask Kira to wear something nice tonight? I'm taking her to dinner. Just her. I'll explain later._

 

********

 

When Ian came back home, Riley was nowhere to be seen, and Kira was wearing her favorite dress, her hair up in a messy bun she had probably tried to do herself – it's not like Mickey was going to style her hair anyway. The redhead gave his half empty pack of cigarettes to his husband, who looked at him like he had grown a second head, and asked his daughter where she wanted to go eat. When she chose the first restaurant Ian had ever taken her to, he almost burst into tears.

 

Kira had almost already finished her plate, but Ian hadn't touch his.

 

“What's going on daddy? You're okay?”

 

“Yes, yes. I was just thinking about how fast you grow up. I wish you'd stay my baby girl forever.”

 

Kira was starting to get suspicious, Ian could see it, but he wanted to enjoy this moment a little longer without having to tell her the truth just yet.

 

“Why aren't Mickey and Yevgeny with us?”

 

“I wanted to have en evening with just you. Like we had before I met Mickey, remember?”

 

“Are you guys getting a divorce?”

 

“No, of course not. I love Mickey. But sometimrd I want to spend time with only my daughter.”

 

“It's weird though...”

 

Ian tried to smile, he really tried, but he couldn't hold it anymore, and he let a few tears escape. And, of course, Kira reacted immediately.

 

“Why are you crying? Are you dying daddy?”

 

Ian shook his head so fast it almost hurt.

 

“No I'm not dying. I won't die until you're a hundred years old and can't even remember I exist anymore!”

 

“I will never forget you exist, daddy.”

 

And a few more tears escaped.

 

“I'm sorry I'm crying Kira. I don't want to scare you. I just have something very important to tell you, and it's making me sad.”

 

“What is it?”

 

********

 

Mickey was sharing a bowl of pop-corn with Yevgeny in front of a movie with dragons and vikings to which he wasn't really paying attention. Ian had been acting weird all evening, disappearing in the middle of the afternoon, leaving half-graded papers on the table, coming back smelling like a smoke factory, and taking Kira to an impromptu dinner. Mickey was worried. And above all that, Riley had suddenly decided to spend a night in a motel after squatting their couch for two weeks. Something was off, something had happened. Mickey was about to text his husband to make sure everything was going okay, when the front door of the house barged open and a crying Kira ran to her bedroom. Ian was following not far after her, closing the door and putting away his car keys in abnormally slow movements. Mickey asked his son to go to his room early, and walked toward his husband. Ian was keeping his head low, but Mickey could see he had been crying.

 

“Hey. You okay? What happened?”

 

Ian shook his head slowly and threw himself in his husband's arms. He wasn't crying anymore, but he buried his face in Mickey's shoulder, inhaling the comforting smell of the other man.

 

“She's taking Kira. To Michigan. Tomorrow.”

 

Mickey caressed his husband's hair slowly.

 

“Shit. I'm sorry. Isn't there something we can do?”

 

“Not on such short notice. Even if we file for custody...”

 

“Which we'll do.”

 

“... it'll take weeks before I'll even see Kira again. And if we don't win...”

 

“We will win.”

 

Ian kissed his husband's cheek.

 

“Thank you. I do have to go talk to Kira though.”

 

Mickey nodded and released Ian from his hug, leaving him go to his daughter's bedroom alone.

 

********

 

The girl was sitting on her bed, pulling quite violently on the hair of her favorite doll. She wasn't crying anymore, that was a good sign, maybe. Ian entered the room slowly and sat on the bed next to his daughter.

 

“You have to think of it like a fun vacation.”

 

Kira kept torturing her poor doll.

 

“But it's not a vacation. Mom doesn't want me to come back.”

 

Ian patted his daughter's knee gently.

 

“You'll come back, I promise. If only for the holidays.”

 

“But I want to live with you all the time!”

 

“I know, sweetie. I want that too. But right now we can't do anything. You have to go live with your mom for a little bit, and I'll try my best to have you come back to me, permanently.”

 

“Permanently means I'll never see mom again?”

 

“No, it means you'll live with me, and you'll go see your mom for the holidays.”

 

“It's not that I don't want to live with mom. It's just... I don't know her.”

 

“I know Kira, I know.”

 

********

 

Kira had been gone for two weeks. Two freaking weeks. The longest Ian had ever been without his daughter. It was killing him. And he knew he wasn't easy to live with. Yevgeny spent more times than usual at his mother's place, and Mickey was taking extra shifts during the week-ends they usually spent with the kids. The black-haired man wasn't avoiding his husband per say, he was just leaving him the space he needed right now. And it was not like Ian was going to talk about it anyway.

 

 

The custody trial was taking place in two days, and Ian was not at all confident about it. Mostly because he was scared Riley might use the whole “not biological father” story against him. It was a risk. A high, high risk. The redhead was so anxious he barely even registered his husband leaving small kisses all the way down his torso, his pelvis, and his crotch. Finally, Mickey swallowed Ian's cock in one swift movement and started to suck on it. But Ian wasn't hard, and was far from getting hard anytime soon. The redhead grabbed his husband by his shoulders and brought him back toward him.

 

“I'm sorry, I'm not really in the mood.”

 

Mickey lied against his husband, and rested a comforting hand on his chest.

 

“It's okay, I know, I was just trying to get your mind off of things. But we can watch a movie if you prefer, or get shitfaced. Mandy might even have some weed...”

 

Ian laughed halfheartedly.

 

“I'm good. Can we just lie here for a bit? I only want your body heat right now.”

 

Mickey snuggled closer to his favorite redhead.

 

“Of course. You need to talk to Nina tough. She needs to know, and you'll feel better.”

 

********

 

“Ian?”

 

The redhead detached his eyes from the cup of coffee he had been staring at for a long minute, and raised his head. The blonde woman smiled at him.

 

“We need to prep for court tomorrow.”

 

“I know, Nina. I know.”

 

Lip sat next to his wife, opposing his brother, his own cup of coffee in hand.

 

“Why are you so stressed out? Riley is an ex-con, and you're the perfect dad. You will win custody, I'm sure of it.”

 

Ian sighed.

 

“Lip, can I talk to my lawyer alone? Please?”

 

The man didn't move at first, but he finally gave up under the insistent look both his brother and wife gave him. When he was finally out of the room, Ian lowered his voice to talk to Nina.

 

“I have to tell you something Riley might use against me. I don't know if she will, but I think you need to know, just in case. Only, Lip doesn't know, and I don't want him to. Never. So, right now I need you to be my lawyer, and not my sister-in-law, and to respect the attorney-client privileges.”

 

Nina nodded.

 

“Of course, I'm a professional. I won't tell Lip anything you don't want me to.”

 

“Good.”

 

Ian took a deep breath. It was still hard to tell the secret, even when necessary.

 

“Because... Kira isn't really my daughter. She doesn't know, and I don't want her to know. It's a long-kept secret between Riley and I. I did tell Mickey, but that's it.”

 

Nina nodded again.

 

“Okay. Okay. You need to tell me the whole story, see if it changes anything, or if I can find a way around whatever Riley might come up with in court, or even if I can make it disappear, you know, not come up at all.”

 

********

 

The last time Ian had worn such a fancy suit, it had been his wedding day. Better times. He had been so happy, and oblivious to any pain that might come his way. But now he was getting ready to face his high school best friend in court over the custody of their daughter. The daughter Ian had been taking care of for the past ten years. It all felt like a dream. A bad, terrible dream, he wished he could wake up from. The man the mirror was sending back to him was not a happy one. He looked so miserable, with dark circles under his eyes from the deep lack of sleep of those past couple of weeks, and his lips never capable of forming a smile anymore.

 

The redhead straightened his tie one last time, ready to head out and drive to the courthouse, when his phone started to ring, Nina's name flashing in large letters across the screen. Ian picked it up quickly.

 

“Yes, Nina?”

 

“She's dropping the case!”

 

“What?”

 

“Riley. Her lawyer just called me. She's giving you full custody if you agree that Kira can spend half the holidays with her!”

 

“What?”

 

(Ian wasn't sure he had any other word in his vocabulary right now.)

 

“Yes, I don't know what happened, it's...”

 

At that exact moment, somebody came knocking on the front door of the house, and a few seconds later Mickey's head popped into the bedroom.

 

“Hey Ian. I think you need to come greet whoever's at the door.”

 

The redhead apologized quickly to Nina, and hung up the phone, before racing to the door. Riley was there, looking apologetic, and accompanied by an over excited Kira. The girl jumped into her father's arms, who barely had time to catch her and almost fell over.

 

“I'm staying with you daddy!”

 

“I know Kira. And I'm so happy!”

 

Ian smiled to Riley over his daughter's shoulder. The woman returned the smile, and handed Kira's suitcase to Mickey.

 

“Kira and I talked, a lot. She was so unhappy those past two weeks, I thought I was doing it wrong, that I wasn't a good mother. It turns out I kinda was... It was stupid of me to take her from you. You're a good father Ian, and Kira wants to live with you. So maybe I need to rebuild my life by myself, and learn to be a mother only a few weeks per year. It's already a lot more than I ever did. And when Kira'll be older, when she'll be able to travel by herself, and maybe she'll come see me more.”

 

“I will.” Kira stated while her father put her back on the ground. “I want to see you mommy, but I love living with dad, and Mickey, and even Yevgeny sometimes.”

 

With that, Kira hugged her mother for a long moment, before heading to her room with Mickey to empty her suitcase. Left alone with Riley, Ian wasn't really sure what to say. He had stashed so much anger toward her those past few weeks, he didn't know what to do with it anymore. Thankfully, Riley was the first one to talk.

 

“I'm sorry for what I said before. I don't see you as a babysitter you know. And I'm glad you kept the secret for so long. You didn't have to do all that. You could have left her to DCFS the first chance you got.”

 

“As I said, she's my daughter, and I love her.”

 

“I know that. Now... Anyway... Thank you.”

 

Riley hadn't enter the house, and was still standing awkwardly on the doorstep. Ian didn't know if he should invite her in, or even if he wanted to.

 

“I gotta go.” the woman finally said. “I want to be back in Michigan before it gets dark out.”

 

Ian nodded, before deciding to hug tightly his ex-best friend.

 

“Thank you.” he murmured in her short strawberry blonde hair. “Thank you.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this was so mushy and borderline unrealistic. Hope you enjoyed it anyway!

**Author's Note:**

> As usual, please leave kudos, comments, and suggestions, I always enjoy interacting with you about my work.
> 
> And don't hesitate to contact me here or on Tumblr (ilostmylifeonline.tumblr.com) if you have a prompt to send me for this series, or something else entirely.


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